If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

"The Sweet Science" - Boxing

I guess the big news in Boxing might be that Tyson Fury, for many still the real heavyweight champion of the world, returns to the ring on June the 9th to take on Sefer Seferi.

It's presumed that he'll want whoever is the winner of the Wilder and Joshua match that's expected for the Autumn or Winter, if his comeback goes as planned.

I don't know if I fully buy into it though. He's good at self-promotion. He's certainly awkward. But I'm yet to be convinced he's done anything other than beat a decent fighter (but no better) in Chisoara, and then got lucky in catching Klitschko on an off-night. I guess now he's back in boxing he's a chance to prove that for good, but as of this moment I'm yet to be convinced.

I do think Wilder/Joshua is the fight the sport needs right now, so I'm hoping that comes off.

Deontay Wilder I feel like knows he's the best fighter in the world, and really, really wants to fight Joshua. Joshua isn't biting so Wilder is settling for Tyson Fury (maybe the greatest boxing name I've ever seen in my life). I don't think Fury beats Wilder, and a victory here just makes it harder for Joshua to avoid Wilder.

I hadn't heard anyone here say Joshua was ducking Wilder until Frank Warren said it, and given he's Fury's promoter I'm taking it with a little bit of a pinch of salt. I still see them coming together down the road. I think it's probably in part just that the British boxers seem to have more marquee value than the Americans now (MAJOR role reversal from my youth) and they are playing hardball with regards to how much they want to make out of it. And I think it probably does make sense to try and get everything you can out of it, given that at heavyweight all it takes is the right punch and you're done.

It's smart by Wilder - and Fury too, for that matter - to try and spread it around though. Might get the Joshua camp to take it on less smart terms than they otherwise would. And even those people who don't really buy it will be watching Joshua and his dealings now to see if there's any truth in it.

Same here, too late for me. If you look at the official scorecards, going into the 12th it could have ended 114 for each, but two of them gave it to Canelo. Looking forward to watching this when I get the chance, reports suggest technically a very good fight, better than their first.

AJ KOs Povetkin in 7 rounds. I had Povetkin ahead by that point too, a very game Russian catching AJ in each round, with AJ probably a bit tentative. But AJ just showed his power and caught Povetkin flush. Only one winner after that.

After heavily favouring AJ in a fight against Wilder, I'm starting to have my doubts. AJ doesn't half get hit an awful lot for a heavyweight...

I'll watch Brook and Khan, but obviously Wilder and Fury is where all the real interest is right now, especially as it might mean we end up with a kind of a round-robin with Joshua. Plus, a big American heavyweight in legit fights might actually be what the sport needs to get it's mojo back in the USA.

Khabib Nurmagomedov has apparently called out Floyd Mayweather following his win over MacGregor. I mean you can see the logic but I'm not sure that an MMA guy who doesn't have the headline power of a MacGregor is going to be such a big draw for Floyd. But I wouldn't be surprised to see it, and I imagine it'd go much the same way.

Watching old Fury matches, I got all my money on Wilder. Fury just moves so awkward as a big man who moves like that. Wilder I think knocks him out, plus Fury hasn't boxed in a long time. But it will be interesting to say the least.

I don't know much about Usyk but he is very highly regarded by most boxing pundits and appears on most of the current pound for pound top tens. The only thing I wonder about is the fact that he has only 15 fights. And only the last 6 were against fighters who were famous enough to have their own Wikipedia page (if that's in any way a measure)!

I wouldn't have given Bellew a prayer both times vs Haye and he beat him twice. He is a really good boxer, has the perfect build and cardio.

I mean I'd pick Usyk but it's getting embarrassing how often I keep going against Bellew and he keeps winning. Have to accept sometime that although he doesn't look like much he's better than I give him credit for - and there'll be no option but to acknowledge that if he gets the win tonight.

Usyk is a very talented boxer, you could see that throughout. Bellew set out to make him uncomfortable and did a really good job. Bellew is a top top boxer I think and can hold his head high.

But that Usyk lad was excellent when he got going, he just has the boxing thing down. 16 fights and he's out of challengers at Cruiserweight. Could see him stepping up now and fighting Joe Parker or Dillan Whyte or Hughie Fury. He's also done himself no harm fighting in Manchester already. Struck up a nice friendly chord with the fans for a finish and will defo sell tickets when he comes back.

Fight was on too late for me last night but woke up to the controversy.

From what I've heard it sounds like a lot of stuff about nothing. Yes, I can well imagine Fury shaded the fight based on reports and I'm a bit concerned about the one scorecard, but one judge calling it a draw sounds perfectly plausible if he loses a couple of 10-8 rounds because he was put on his ass twice.

Basically, if he'd stayed on his feet and avoided being caught, or managed to do the same to Wilder, he'd have won. And I don't really see that as robbery.

I will say this - I don't think we can say that Fury was a one-night wonder anymore. And I think both men, before they can think about Joshua, probably have to look at having a rematch.

He predicted Wilder would cry off a rematch, but the American is already calling for it himself. Could be as early as the spring if they can get it done.

Naturally, the fight everyone looks at then is the winner vs Joshua. Very hard to avoid that one then, I'd suggest.

I was reading something the other day that made the case Whyte has come on a long way since his loss to Joshua and could be back in the mix if he gets a unanimous decision or KO against Chisora this time around.

That was what it had looked like to me, too, but I haven't seen much of him lately - and this was a big name in boxing who said he was showing signs in those more recent fights of growing into the best of the lot.

Haven't seen it myself because I haven't caught the fights. But he wouldn't be the first fighter to grow up to his full ability, if it is true.